Volume: 18  Number: 2  Page: 188–200

The Monitor Hypothesis and English Teachers in Botswana: Problems, Varieties and Implications for Language Teacher Education

Ria McDonald1 and Daniel Kasule2 1School of Education, University of South Africa, P.O. Box 392, UNISA 0003, South Africa and 2Faculty of Education, University of Botswana, Private Bag 0022, Gabarone, Botswana

This paper reports the results of a brief investigation into what non-native English-speaking teachers (non-NESTs) perceive to be their difficulties with the English language. It was hypothesised that the confidence of such teachers, which affects the effectiveness with which they teach, would be low. Results from 15 randomly selected interviewees confirmed this hypothesis. The monitor hypothesis was utilised in the investigation as it explains how adults perceive their L2 competence. It was deduced that because of the negative impact of teachers' feelings of inadequacy on their teaching, they should be required to participate in in-service programmes in order to empower them in their teaching.

Keywords: language teacher education, medium of instruction, English language teaching, English as a second language, in-service education and training, non-native English-speaking teachers

2005 R. McDonald & D. Kasule

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